January 19, 2016 – One Ok Rock held their XXXV Concert Tour at SM MOA Arena in Manila, Philippines.

I first heard about the Japanese band back in 2012 when my bestfriend was raving about the OST from Rurouni Kenshin. I was a huge fan of the anime and manga so at the time, I was raving more about the film than the OST. I was concerned about how they were bringing Kenshin to life and how true it would be to the manga or the anime.

Before Kyoto Inferno and The Legend Ends were released, I heard Mighty Long Fall. That was my undoing. I was caught – hook, line, and sinker. Since then, I downloaded all their albums and listened to all their songs. I wanted to smack myself for not paying attention the first time around.

When I heard Heartache, I wished that I could hear it live, even just once. I wished fervently that someday, I would be able to watch them live in concert. Though Korean artists have been flocking the country, there is a lack of Japanese artists so at the time, it seemed wholly impossible. It was a wish come true when PULP announced an OOR Philippine concert! I was ecstatic and I was willing to do anything to be able to go to the concert. Who knew my wish would come true sooner than later?

There are not enough words to describe how amazing the concert was. Taka has such a commanding presence on stage and his voice is simply out of this world. How he manages to reach those high notes while running, jumping and spinning on stage without losing a breath is just mind-blowing. I am just head over heels in love with Taka. Toru and Ryota were stretching their limbs to eternity while strumming their guitars. I don’t know how they do it. They’re like Reed Richards of Fantastic Four. Toru can melt a girl’s heart with that serious looking face. Females are just drawn to that mysterious aura. When he strums his guitar, it’s like he is one with the music and everyone just disappears. At least, that’s how he looks to me. Tomoya is a magician behind those drums. When he shouted, “Mahal Kita” after their encore, I wanted to shout back, “Mahal din kita!” Though he’s the eldest, he looked like a kid just having a blast of fun behind those drums.

They were very warm towards their fans. It’s a very nice feeling to hear sincerity with the way they interact with the audience. I attended a concert last year that though the artists gave their best, I did not feel their sincerity. I was happy during and after the concert but at the same time, I knew and felt that they were too tired to enjoy their own performance to give their audience sincere appreciation. But with OOR, I felt happiness from both which made it more enjoyable.

I think I screamed my heart out. I almost lost my tonsils and my hearing from the screams of my fellow fans. I was not feeling very well that day but I think when I heard Taka’s voice, any sickness I may have been feeling was gone. Zap! Just like that! There was no way I’m gonna miss the concert. I would have dragged myself there even if I’m dying.

Though my wish had come true, I’d like to make another one. I want to go and watch more OOR concerts! I will patiently wait for them to come back.